Marta, Andressa Alves and Rafaelle all found the net for Brazil in the shoot-out with Lotta Schelin, Caroline Seger and Nilla Fischer doing likewise for Sweden before Dahlkvist settled the tie. She can also become the first coach to win three consecutive gold medals in women’s soccer. Germany advanced to the gold medal match after beating Canada 2-0 in the semifinals.
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Looking at the medal tally, United States of America is in first place with 28 gold, 28 silver and 28 bronze, Great Britain is in second place with 19 gold, 19 silver and 12 bronze while China remain in third place with 17 gold, 15 silver and 19 bronze. Buchanan, whose speed and physicality normally allow her to thrive, has seen four yellow cards in four games played at Rio.
The Swedish team celebrate their win over Brazil. “It is not for me to criticise the opponent, especially because their strategy worked and they had good results in both matches”, said Vadao graciously. But this is football. “That’s all that matters, especially [in the final]”, she said on Thursday. “It’s fun because someone said that Sweden hadn’t been in a penalty shootout in one of these important games since 1996, and now it’s two in a row”.
When she finally rose, she and Sweden coach Pia Sundhage shared a warm embrace.
“We know how hard we fought to get here”.
The Swedes paid tribute to her, with coach Pia Sundhage saying: “I think she had a fantastic game and created problems for us”. She was named FIFA Women’s Coach of the Year for 2010.
But the first semifinal of the women’s soccer tournament between Sweden and Brazil felt as much like a race against time as anything else. When the men’s side was struggling early in the tournament, some fans crossed out Neymar’s name on their No. 10 jerseys and wrote in “Marta” in magic marker.
Marta grew up playing street soccer with the boys in Dois Riachos, a town about 1,250 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. She was voted World Player of the Year five times in a row between 2006 and 2010. They won the silver at Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) and were runners-up in the World Cup in China in 2007.
Even with her skills, major success has eluded the Brazilian women’s team. “There’s some sort of calmness, and the way she reads the game, not only saving shots”. Germany romped on nonplussed and Sweden were dumped out of the World Cup without having won one match. Marta had both goals for Brazil, including a controversial penalty kick, but Solo was able to stop Daiane in the shootout. But the Americans were ousted by Sweden in the quarterfinals. However, some take her the wrong way and her tactics at this Olympics have split opinions, excellently summed up by journalist Ann Odong on Twitter. “I will be happy regardless of how we play”. “And she’s been in football forever, same as me”. Marta and Beatriz scored two goals each in that first match. Yes it isn’t the up and down, 100 miles an hour game plan that other nations employ and, yes Sweden are not the “plucky underdog” but there are many ways to win a football match. A victory in Brazil would give her a third-straight Olympic title.
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England’s third-place World Cup finish should have sent it to Brazil alongside France and Germany. “I don’t want to think about this right now”, she asserted.
